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Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit, Zoox, is rolling out its robotaxi service in San Francisco, providing complimentary rides across select areas of the city as part of its push to catch up with Waymo in the burgeoning field of driverless passenger transport.
The initiative, revealed on Tuesday, will operate within several key neighborhoods and is restricted to individuals who have joined a waitlist for trips in Zoox’s distinctive pod-like vehicles that lack a steering wheel or pedals. This San Francisco debut follows closely on the heels of the company’s initial commercial deployment along the Las Vegas Strip less than three months ago.
Unlike Waymo, which has offered paid rides since launching in Phoenix half a decade ago, Zoox is keeping services gratis for now, marking a significant step toward eventual fare-based operations similar to those of Uber and Lyft. Amazon, which acquired Zoox for $1.2 billion in 2020, is ramping up its presence in self-driving technology through this expansion.
Before Zoox can start collecting fees in San Francisco, it must secure approval from California authorities, a hurdle Waymo cleared in August 2023 following addresses to local safety issues. Waymo’s vehicles have since integrated seamlessly into the city’s landscape, attracting visitors who pair rides in these high-tech cars with classic experiences like boarding the historic cable cars that have run for over 150 years.
Originating as a covert Google initiative in 2009, Waymo now runs its robotaxis in San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles in California, as well as Atlanta and Austin in Texas, with upcoming launches planned for New York City, Washington, D.C., and London in the coming year.
Highlighting its rapid scaling, Waymo is extending operations to include highways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. On Tuesday, the firm also outlined intentions to enter five additional American markets: Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston in Texas, plus Miami and Orlando in Florida, though full access for riders won’t arrive until next year.
Following Waymo’s model, Amazon aims to deploy Zoox vehicles in cities like Austin and Miami. Supporting this growth, the company has repurposed an old bus manufacturing facility in Hayward, California, roughly 25 miles southeast of San Francisco, into an advanced production hub for robotaxis, with goals to manufacture up to 10,000 units each year.
